S3E2: The Downed Rider
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: ***MY FINAL FANFICTION IN THE HTTYD ARCHIVE!*** On an undocumented island, Hiccup is caught in a cave following a wild dragon attack and rockslide. With wild dragons on the loose and the cave slowly filling up with water, it becomes not only a race against time, but maniac dragons as well.
1. Chapter 1

**OKAY GUYS, HERE IT IS.**

 **MY FINAL FANFICTION IN THE HTTYD ARCHIVE, PERMANENTLY OR TEMPORARILY, I HAVE NO IDEA. I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY THIS FIC BECAUSE I'M REALLY TRYING MY HARDEST TO MAKE IT COUNT! :D**

 **I LOVE YOU ALL! ENJOY RACE TO THE EDGE SEASON 3B EPISODE 2: THE DOWNED RIDER! :D THIS IS SET IN THE RTTE TIMELINE, JUST SO EVERYONE KNOWS! :D ENJOY! :D**

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 _As you journey through life, it's always good to have friends you know you can count on. I know I've counted on them more times than I can count myself, and they always come through for me. They're crazy and reckless at times, but then again, so am I. I couldn't imagine a life without them; they've saved my life too many times for that._

 _This is one of the most memorable instances for me, in which they've saved my life; I'm recording it so I can never forget, just how incredible my friends really are._

 _..._

"Give it to me! I said _give it to me!"_ snapped Snotlout, chasing the twins through the Clubhouse, shouting at them all the while. Ruffnut and Tuffnut laughed hysterically, taunting him, Snotlout's bludgeon held over Tuffnut's head like a Thawfest trophy.

"That's been in the family for years!" said Snotlout, finally catching up with the twins and managing to snatch the bludgeon from Tuffnut's hands. "Ah, look what you guys did to it! You got it dirty!" He brushed imaginary dirt from the bludgeon and glared harshly at the twins.

"As if your hands are even _remotely_ clean," said Ruffnut, wiping her hands on her pants.

"Hiccup!" said Snotlout, storming to the other side of the Clubhouse, as far away from the twins as possible. "Can you _please_ tell Mister and Misses Grubby Hands to keep away from my stuff!?"

Across the room, Hiccup, who was seated on a stool in front of their round table, looked up. He had been examining the Dragon Eye all morning, along with listening to the twins and Snotlout fight, and he was beginning to become agitated.

"Um...well, if I recall correctly, Snotlout," said Hiccup, handing the Dragon Eye to Fishlegs, who was standing nearby, "you _did_ steal the twins' spears this morning."

"That was because they wouldn't stop poking me with them!" said Snotlout furiously.

"He was asking for it!" protested Ruffnut, crossing her arms.

"And even if he hadn't been asking for it," said Tuffnut, "wonderful pranksters like ourselves do not simply _pass up_ an offer to prank one of our fellows! Especially one who _deserves_ it!"

 _"Arrrrgggghhh!"_ shouted Snotlout, and he stormed towards the door with Hookfang in tow. Just as he opened the hatch, Stormfly soared through the door with Astrid mounted on her back. Snotlout was knocked over by Stormfly, and Hookfang pulled backwards to avoid getting rammed into.

"I patrolled the outer rim of Dragon's Edge," said Astrid, dismounting Stormfly and heading over. "No sign of Dagur's ships anywhere."

"That is good news," said Fishlegs, beaming. "The Night Terrors haven't left their perches. They should alert us if they see anything out of the ordinary."

Across the room, Snotlout got to his feet again, brushing off his shirt. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking," he grumbled, and then, he realized, "Hey! Where's my bludgeon!?"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut giggled, and then, Ruffnut pulled the bludgeon from behind her back.

"GIVE IT BACK!" demanded Snotlout furiously, and he charged towards the lunatics, ready to swipe back what they had stolen from him.

"Okay, okay, okay, guys, calm down," said Hiccup, putting out his hands and rising from his seat. "Ruff, Tuff, give the bludgeon back to Snotlout."

Ruffnut growled. "Ugh, _okay_ ," she muttered, throwing the bludgeon to Snotlout. Snotlout caught the weapon, gave the twins one final glare, and made for the door of the Clubhouse once again.

This time, before he had the chance to open the door again, a Terrible Terror suddenly burst through them, slammed into Snotlout, and tackled the boy to the ground. Snotlout was, needless to say, less than thrilled.

"Get it off me!" Snotlout yelled, grabbing the Terrible Terror and shoving him away. "Stay away from me, you crazy dragon!"

The Terrible Terror must have decided Snotlout wasn't worth his time, because he spread his wings and flew over to Hiccup. The dragon landed on Hiccup's shoulder and held out his front leg expectantly.

"Oh, look, airmail," said Fishlegs, pointing, and Hiccup pulled the small scroll from the dragon's leg, unrolled it, and read.

"What is it, Hiccup?" said Astrid, moving forward to investigate.

"It's from Berk," said Hiccup, reading over the note. When he got to the end, he folded it and set it aside. "They want us to check out an island, just outside the archipelago. Apparently, there's been some weird dragon activity over there."

"Huh," said Fishlegs, scratching his chin, "interesting. What kind of weird dragon activity?"

"It mentioned aggressive dragons," said Hiccup.

"Ha," said Snotlout, crossing his arms. "You mean aggressive, gigantic, fire breathing reptiles. Yeah, big shock."

"Yeah," said Hiccup, frowning. The Terrible Terror on his shoulder leapt to his head, cooing, very proud of himself for having delivered the letter. "And Berk knows that dragons, even trainable ones, are _always_ aggressive at first…"

"Which means it has to be a not normal kind of aggressive," said Astrid. "That's weird. Did it mention what kind of dragons?"

"No," said Hiccup. "Apparently, the Berkians didn't stick around to find out."

"The dragons were _that_ aggressive?" said Fishlegs uncertainly. "That's weird. Even the more lethal dragons, like Typhoomerangs, keep to themselves unless they're threatened."

"Okay, so, let me get this straight," said Snotlout, putting forward his hands. "Berk wants us to check out this island full of these crazy dragons that may or may not tear us to pieces? Normally, when _Hooligans_ turn back from a fight, you can know for a fact the fight is not one to be won easily!"

" _We're_ Hooligans, too, Snotlout," said Astrid, crossing her arms. "And anyways, we're dragon trainers. Dealing with dragons, rogue or not, is what we do."

"But, by all means, Snotlout," said Hiccup, "feel free to stay behind."

"Whoa now!" said Snotlout, chuckling nervously. "Let's not get hasty! When do we leave?"

Hookfang grabbed Snotlout's bludgeon up from the floor and dropped it on his rider's head. Snotlout was, for the third time that day, knocked to the ground.

" _HOOKFANG!"_ he shouted furiously.

...

Hiccup, Fishlegs, Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut soared over the open ocean, mounted on their dragons, towards their destination. The wind blew in their faces, and it smelled of salt.

"Are you sure we're going in the right direction, Hiccup?" said Snotlout, leaning over Hookfang's neck lazily. "We've been flying for hours. We have to be getting close."

"We _are_ getting close," said Hiccup, "and I'm positive we're going in the right direction."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked at each other. "This is the perfect moment," said Tuffnut, "for us to get horribly lost."

" _Tuffnut!"_ snapped Snotlout. "We aren't lost!"

"That's what they _all_ say," said Tuffnut, nodding seriously.

Hiccup put his head in his hands. "Someone preserve me from the terminally stupid," he moaned.

"Wait...do you guys smell that?" said Astrid.

"I knew it!" said Tuffnut, sniffing the air. "That, my friends, is the smell of defeat!"

"It smells like there's a fire nearby," said Snotlout. "Does that mean anything?"

"It means," said Hiccup, "we're coming up on the island. Come on, gang! Turn right into the fog bank up ahead!"

The riders turned and did just as Hiccup had told them, using a small mist that hung over the ocean nearby to hide their numbers. The bank of fog soon ended, and when the riders shot back into the clear sky, they looked down on a large, dark, ominous island.

The island was covered in dust and ash, and caves, crevices, and towering piles of rocks from rockslides littered the terrain.

"Dam!" called Snotlout, pointing.

"What?" said the others, staring at him.

"Look!" said Snotlout, pointing more frantically this time. "Below! There's some sort of dam!"

"Oh," said Tuffnut, "you meant a _dam_. Okay."

"Come on!" said Ruffnut. "Let's check the dam out!"

The dragons zeroed down towards the ground, circling just above it. Sure enough, Snotlout was right. There was a dam, built, but unsturdy, and behind it was a large lake, kept contained by the dam and by the dam alone.

"Huh," said Hiccup, as Toothless circled overhead. "That's interesting. Dragons certainly didn't build this thing."

"And it's old," said Fishlegs, swerving on Meatlug to get a better look. "This island must have belonged to one of the ancient tribes. You see it all the time throughout history. Tribes claim different islands, but then, dragons attack and claim it from them."

"Like Berk almost was," said Astrid, moving in on Stormfly. "A few hundred more years of dragon raids and Berk _would_ have been reclaimed by the dragons."

"Exactly, Astrid," said Fishlegs.

"That would explain why the dragons were hostile towards the Berkians on the ship," said Hiccup, overlooking the island. "They must have thought we were trying to claim their island from them again."

"That's weird," said Astrid, shaking her head. "We killed the Red Death, right? Why would there still be dragon problems like this if the Queen is dead?"

"Technically, Astrid, we killed _one_ Queen," said Fishlegs, "of _one_ nest. There could be hundreds of Queens still here. Maybe there's still one controlling the dragons on this island."

"Well, if that's the case, then we have a bigger problem than I thought," said Hiccup seriously. "Come on. Let's see if we can find the dragons mentioned in the airmail. Maybe if we can learn more about the dragons, we can learn more about their Queen."

Astrid and Fishlegs nodded, and they, their dragons, Hiccup, and Toothless soared back into the sky and circled the island. Meanwhile, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout stayed closer to the ground.

"If the dragons live near the dam, they're dam dragons," said Tuffnut, scratching his chin. "And this place has a dam, so it must be a dam place."

"Tuffnut, would you quit that!?" snapped Snotlout furiously.

"All I'm saying is," said Tuffnut, "that with this ominous of a dam hanging over our heads, we should think about proceeding with caution."

"Or, on the other hand," said Ruffnut, "we could do what we normally do and kick caution out the window."

"Huh," said Tuffnut, and then, he grinned. "You always did have the brains of the family, Ruffnut."

Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Not a very big accomplishment, unfortunately," he muttered under his breath.

"I don't see any dragons, Hiccup!" said Astrid, flanking Hiccup and Toothless on Stormfly. "I think it's safe to land!"

"Agreed!" said Hiccup, nodding. "Come on, gang! We're going down!"

Toothless was the first to land, and after him came Stormfly, Fishlegs, Barf and Belch, and finally, Hookfang. Their riders dismounted, looking around.

"This place gives me the creeps," said Snotlout, glancing upwards at the towering mountains of stones from rockslides and ominous cliffsides. "Ugh! I knew coming here was a bad idea! There aren't any dragons here at all!"

As if on cue, a long, loud, _RRRROOOOOAARRRR_ that sounded more guttural than anything rang clear across the sky, and the riders clapped their hands around their ears. Even the dragons clawed at the ground and shook their head, hating the grinding, gravelly sound.

The roar faded into a horrendous echo, and Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Hiccup whirled around to face Snotlout, glaring.

Snotlout threw his hands over his head. "What!? I didn't do it!"

"Well, whatever _did_ do it didn't sound happy," said Astrid snappily. "Come on, we have to go see what it is!"

"Agreed," said Hiccup. "Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you three stay here and send up a distress signal if you see any sign of the dragon. Fishlegs, Astrid and I will look for the dragon from above."

"Now wait just a minute!" said Snotlout furiously. "I see what you're doing! You just want to take the sky because you're a scaredy cat! You know the sky is safer than the ground!"

Hiccup sighed. "Then, by all means, take my place," he said.

Snotlout paused, thinking. "Are you trying to confuse me!?" he demanded.

" _DRAGON!"_ Ruffnut and Tuffnut suddenly shouted, pointing upwards.

The other riders turned to look, and sure enough, there was a dragon, flying straight towards them like a dive-bombing bird. Snotlout screamed in an octave that didn't sound physically possible and leapt onto Hookfang; Hookfang instantly shot into the sky, wings pounding.

"SNOTLOUT IS OUT-LOUT!" shouted Snotlout. "OUT-LOUT! _AGAIN!_ "

"Everyone, mount up!" Hiccup said. "The first thing we need to do, is find out what kind of dragon this is-!"

The dragon suddenly swooped, flying between two tall towers of rocks, wings spreading to their full length, and then, the dragon turned and flew on.

It seemed for a moment that nothing was wrong.

But then...

The two towers of rocks it had flown between suddenly crumpled, having been sliced in half by _something_ , and the rocks tumbled down, straight towards the dragons and riders. The dragon swooped and sped out of sight.

" _TIMBERJACK!"_ screamed Fishlegs.


	2. Chapter 2

**You guys are so incredibly amazing! :D Seriously, I can never thank you enough for all the support you give me! :D You guys are incredible and I love you all so much! :D I'm not going to do shout-outs this chapter just because of some technical difficulties (I'm looking at YOU, e-mail!), but I promise I'll do them the next chapter, because this IS my last story (maybe?) and you guys deserve it. :D**

 **Oh, and some of you were wondering why they were patrolling for Dagur when he's become "good" in the latest season. Well, I forgot to mention previously, but these fics in season 3B aren't in chronological order. This "episode" probably takes place somewhere during season 2. :D I hope that clears up the confusion. :)**

 **Anyways, thanks for all your support! :D I love you all! Shout-outs next time, but until then, enjoy chapter 2! :D**

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The rocks tumbled straight towards the riders, threatening to crush them, and the dragons reacted before the riders had a chance to. Stormfly grabbed Astrid and ducked to the side; Meatlug wound herself around Fishlegs to shield him; Barf and Belch hoisted Ruffnut and Tuffnut onto their heads and sprang backwards; and Toothless pummeled Hiccup to the ground, wrapping his wings around his rider.

The rocks hit the ground, one after the other, shaking it horrendously. Somewhere above them, Snotlout shrieked, and Hookfang roared. When the shaking finally receded, the dragons lifted their heads, and their riders stood up. Ruffnut and Tuffnut leapt from Barf and Belch's heads, looking up at the sky.

"Tumberjacks," said Tuffnut, grinning. "I _love_ it!"

"But I thought those things could only slice through _trees!"_ complained Snotlout from above, soaring Hookfang lower so he could shout to his friends. "The Book of Dragons said nothing about slicing through freakin' _rock!"_

"The Book of Dragons isn't completed, Snotlout!" said Fishlegs, biting his fingernails. "There are still dozens of things about dragons that the Book of Dragons just hasn't recorded!"

"Um, guys," said Astrid, "I think we can talk about the Book of Dragons later. Right now, we have a bit of a bigger problem on our hands." She looked around, and then back at the other riders. "Where'd the Timberjack go?"

They instantly realized that Astrid was right. The Timberjack was nowhere to be seen.

"Oooh, this isn't good!" said Fishlegs, putting his hands to his mouth. "Oh, Thor, we're doomed! We're doomed! We have to get out of here!"

"Nobody's _doomed_ , Fishlegs!" said Hiccup. "The Timberjack can't camouflage itself against this terrain. It can't hide from us. That gives us an advantage."

"Right," said Snotlout, and Hookfang alighted on the ground across from Hiccup and Toothless. "So, our biggest advantage is the fact that the Timberjack can't sneak up on us, but do you know who else can't sneak up on stuff? _Us!_ Is _anyone_ going to mention the fact that the Timberjack has razor-sharp wings that can slice through solid _rock!?_ _WE_ _DON'T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT, PEOPLE!_ "

"Okay, we need to find some way to lure the Timberjack out of here," said Hiccup, "just in case anyone else stumbles across this island. Fishlegs, what is the Timberjack's natural habitat?"

"Um, normally forests," said Fishlegs, "or woods. Which doesn't make sense to me, honestly. What would a Timberjack be doing all the way out here?"

"Well, _duh,_ the _dam_ ," said Ruffnut pointedly. "Look, it's summer, right? And sometimes, places can get really _dry_. So, Mr. Timberjack probably just came to get some water. He'll probably leave on his own."

"That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard," said Tuffnut, crossing his arms. "I am so ashamed."

"You know something?" said Hiccup. "Ruffnut actually has a point."

"I am so proud!" Tuffnut corrected himself, and he reached over to punch Ruffnut on the shoulder.

"There's never been a Timberjack around here before," said Hiccup, going on, "and no viking tribe could survive here without good soil to grow crops. This island was obviously taken over by dragons years ago, and the dragons eventually abandoned it. The Timberjack is here for the water."

"Right!" said Fishlegs, beaming. "Which means we don't even have to worry about running it out!"

"Yeah, that's great!" said Snotlout, throwing his hands into the air, rolling his eyes. "Good for us!"

Another ear-splitting roar broke the silence, and Hiccup instantly leapt onto Toothless' back. "Leaving eventually or not," Hiccup said, "the Timberjack is still a problem. The plan doesn't change!" he said, raising his voice. "Astrid, Fishlegs, come on! We still need to run the Timberjack away from us!"

"HEY!" snapped Snotlout. "I said I was taking the sky!"

"And I said _we're_ taking the sky," said Hiccup, and without another word, Toothless, Meatlug, and Stormfly shot into the sky, their riders mounted on their backs.

"Muttonheads…" muttered Snotlout furiously under his breath, stomping his foot. "WHEN YOU DON'T COME BACK," he shouted, "DON'T COME _CRYING_ TO ME!"

Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs ignored him. They looked, searching for any sign of the Timberjack, but the more they looked, the more Hiccup began to wonder if maybe the Timberjack had already fled the island.

"I don't see anything, Hiccup," said Astrid. "Maybe it doubled back around."

"Or maybe it left altogether?" said Fishlegs hopefully. "Look, I love a new dragon as much as the next person, and Timberjacks are downright _amazing_ …" His eyes got dreamy for a moment, but he quickly shook his head. "Anyways," he said, composing himself, "the Timberjack is also _insanely_ dangerous."

"You're right, Fishlegs," said Hiccup, nodding. "Fishlegs, how independent are Timberjacks?"

"Um, the book of dragons didn't have a lot on Timberjacks," said Fishlegs, "but in Bork's papers, he was always saying how insanely independent these dragons were. My guess is, yes, they're in it for themselves."

"Which means we probably don't have to worry about another Queen," said Hiccup.

"Phew," said Astrid. "That's a relief."

"But we still have to worry about the Timberjack," said Hiccup. "I don't think it's fled the island just yet…"

"And what makes you say that?" asked Fishlegs, nervous once again.

From behind them came a roar, followed by Snotlout's too-high-pitched scream.

"Oh," said Astrid. "Yeah. The Timberjack's still around."

Toothless, Stormfly, and Fishlegs whirled around and tore through the sky, towards Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Barf, Belch, and Hookfang.

Fishlegs pulled Meatlug to a stop, mouth hanging open. "Wow!" he said. "Hiccup, _look_ at that dragon!"

The Timberjack was unlike anything the riders had ever seen before. It was a rusty, burnt brown, but the scales on its belly and underwings were a bright golden. Brighter yellow scales peppered the underwings at random, like dozens of stars.

"Whoooaaaa," said Tuffnut and Ruffnut in unison, mouths agape.

"I'd trade my half of the Zippleback for one of those things," said Tuffnut in awe. Belch growled at him. "But hey," said Tuffnut reassuringly, "Hiccup would never let me do that, so we're good."

Belch nodded, satisfied.

The Timberjack raised its mighty head and roared; Hookfang roared back at it and, Snotlout still mounted on his back, lunged at the Timberjack.

"HOOKFANG, NO!" Snotlout shouted, but it was too late. Hookfang snarled and tackled the Timberjack to the ground, Snotlout holding on for dear life. The Timberjack roared and threw Hookfang off easily; but before it could strike back, Barf released Zippleback gas throughout the area, and Belch opened his mouth to light it.

"No!" Hiccup shouted. "Don't! The cliffs are unstable!"

Too late.

One spark from Belch was all it took before the Zippleback gas exploded, sending not only the ground shaking, but the cliffsides as well. Large boulders tumbled down the cliffs, and Fishlegs and Meatlug scrambled out of the way, narrowly avoiding getting crushed.

Toothless dove, also narrowly avoiding a boulder, and Stormfly and Astrid did the same.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut giggled.

"You guys are so terrified of the falling rocks, aren't you?" said Ruffnut.

"Yes," said Tuffnut, and then, he grinned. "I bet they wish they were a _little boulder_. HAHAHAHAHAHA! Get it!? Did you see what I did!? _Boulder!_ Because you wish you were _bold_ and there are falling boulders-"

Hiccup slapped his hand to his forehead, groaning.

"We all get it, Tuffnut!" snapped Snotlout, as Hookfang swerved, just barely missing getting squished between a rock and a hard place. "Now do as all a favor and shut up!"

Tuffnut sighed. "I guess not everyone appreciates puns," he said sadly.

"No, we do not!" confirmed Fishlegs.

The rocks finally receded, but the Timberjack was as angry as ever. It roared at the riders, each in turn, and then, it spread its wings and shot into the sky, flying towards the opposite side of the island.

"It's heading for the caves!" shouted Hiccup, pointing. "We have to follow it!"

"Are you sure we _have_ to follow it?" said Snotlout, but Toothless, Stormfly, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch had already taken off after the Timberjack. "Come on! Why don't you guys ever listen to me!?"

But even in his reluctance, he, with Hookfang, took off after the other riders. They soared after the Timberjack, and the Timberjack knew it was being followed, because it swerved at every chance it got, maneuvering itself between tall boulders and cliffs.

"Ugh, this thing is fast!" Snotlout shouted.

The Timberjack flew straight between two long cliffs. The way was beyond narrow, more of a crevice than anything else.

"Astrid!" Hiccup shouted. "Spine shots! Cut the Timberjack off!"

Astrid nodded in acknowledgement and rubbed Stormfly's head. "Come on, girl," she said, "spine shot! Let's make this count!"

Stormfly nodded and flicked her tail instantly, following her rider's command. Spines shot straight towards the Timberjack, and the dragon was forced to swerve out of the way to avoid being skewered.

For a moment, it seemed the Timberjack was cornered...but then, it dove straight down, into a small, narrow tunnel leading straight into the ground that the riders hadn't noticed before.

"Oh, come _on!"_ moaned Snotlout in despair.

"Everyone, look from above and try to find out where the tunnel leads!" Hiccup shouted. "I'll flush it out!"

"Good luck!" Fishlegs called, and Toothless dove into the tunnel, after the Timberjack.

Stormfly, Hookfang, Barf, Belch, and Meatlug then soared above, overlooking the terrain from the sky, searching for any sign of the Timberjack.

Toothless rocketed down the tunnel beneath the ground, looking back and forth for any sign of the Timberjack. Hiccup, too, looked back and forth, but he couldn't see anything in the dark.

"Toothless, search," Hiccup said, and Toothless did just that. Rings of purple zoomed down the long tunnel, but found nothing. "Huh," said Hiccup, brows furrowing. "That's weird…"

He looked around again. He could hear something that sounded like rushing water, and when he looked down, he noticed the rocks beneath them were wet.

"Huh," Hiccup said. "Weird- _er_...there must be some kind of stream running from the ocean into this crevice...it makes sense," he decided, leaning back. "If Vikings really lived here, maybe this is where their well-water came from."

Toothless growled lowly.

"Yeah, I know," said Hiccup, "I don't like it, either. Come on, bud, let's get out of here. Maybe the Timberjack doubled back on us again."

He didn't have a chance to say anything else before a low, quiet growl sounded from behind him, and suddenly, he knew _exactly_ where the Timberjack was.

"Oh, great…" Hiccup muttered furiously. "It's behind me, isn't it?"

Toothless spun around and came nose-to-nose with the Timberjack. The Timberjack roared furiously, spreading its wings, blocking Hiccup and Toothless' only way out.

"Toothless, plasma blast!" Hiccup shouted, and Toothless fired a single blast straight at the Timberjack. The dragon leapt out of the way, leaving the tunnel unblocked, and Toothless spread his wings and flew back up the tunnel, towards the surface.

The Timberjack turned, roared, and followed them instantly.

"Oh, this isn't good," Hiccup muttered over and over to himself. "Come on, Toothless, faster!" The Timberjack was gaining on them. It was only a matter of time before it caught up with them and had its vengeance.

Toothless shot from the tunnel and back between the two cliffs, towering over them like gigantic walls, and the Timberjack shot after them. It was furious.

Toothless soared straight into the air, and then, power-dived straight down once again. The Timberjack followed. The wood-colored dragon opened his mouth, sucked in a deep breath…

"TOOTHLESS, ZIG-ZAG!" Hiccup shouted, and Toothless turned sharply. The Timberjack's explosive embers erupted across the sky they had occupied moments before.

The loud, long _BOOM!_ the explosion created was so loud, Hiccup wouldn't have been surprised if Berk heard it.

…

"Did you hear that!?" Fishlegs blurted as the echo of a loud _BANG!_ could be heard throughout the sky. "It sounded like a dragon's fire!"

"That must be where Hiccup and Toothless are with the Timberjack!" said Astrid, and she instantly looked around. "There! The smoke cloud, all the way on the other side of the island! That's where they are!"

Their dragons shot in that direction, towards Hiccup, Toothless, and the angry Timberjack.

…

Toothless barrel-rolled, avoiding another blast of explosive embers from the Timberjack, and the Timberjack, angrier than ever, fired blast after blast, leaving no stone unturned. The very sky seemed to shake with every explosion, and Hiccup's ears were ringing. It was becoming increasingly hard to focus.

"Toothless, come on!" Hiccup shouted. "Keep zig-zagging!"

Toothless heeded his friend's words and did just that, but now, the Timberjack was anticipating his movements. It fired another ember at Toothless, just as the Night Fury swerved left.

Though the blast didn't hit Hiccup or Toothless, one stray ember attached to Toothless' prosthetic tailfin, and within moments, the fabric was set ablaze.

"Oh no…" Hiccup moaned. "Not this _again_ …"

They were close enough to the ground to the point where landing wasn't a problem. Toothless stumbled a bit when he touched down, and Hiccup wasted no time in dismounting, grabbing his Gronckle Iron shield from where it was strapped around his back, and holding it before him and his dragon defensively.

The Timberjack alighted on the ground. The dragon had no front legs or back legs; only its long tail, which it balanced on like a cobra poised to strike. Toothless growled at the enraged Timberjack, and the Timberjack growled right back at the equally enraged Night Fury.

The ocean was behind them, and around them were dozens of crevices, none of which were wide enough for a dragon to fit through. They were shallow, but ominous nonetheless.

The Timberjack saw all of this, and was searching, formulating just the right plan...one of the small crevices was too close to the ocean, and water flowed freely into it. The Timberjack studied this closely, watching as the water flowed through the crevice and on.

Then, the dragon looked at a nearby tower of rock.

Hiccup and Toothless watched, waiting for it to attack. "Weird…" Hiccup said. "I thought he would…"

The Timberjack lunged forward so quickly it was startling, and Toothless and Hiccup just barely managed to dodge out of the way. This was all part of the Timberjack's plan, and before Toothless and Hiccup could build their defensive formation again, it swung its long tail and caught Hiccup in the chest.

If Hiccup had been expecting it, he probably would have dodged.

But he hadn't expected it.

When the Timberjack's long tail connected with his chest, he was flung backwards, hitting the ground on his side.

He rolled across the rocky ground for a few moments, momentum pushing him on, and then, finally, he fell.

Straight into the ocean-side crevice.

On the way down, his head connected with something - it could have been a rock, or a sharp stone jutting from the crevice's wall, but either way, it _hurt_ , and Hiccup hit the cold, wet ground below.

Almost instantly, he parted company with his consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey you guys! :D Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! :D I hope you enjoy this one! :D Shout-outs:**

 **SilverGhostWolf: Hahahaha, yeah! Seriously though, Hiccup! XD I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D Thanks! :D**

 **ShadowSpirt020: Yeah, poor Hiccup. This kind of stuff is always happening to him in my fics. I don't know why I like hurting him. :/ Oh well. :) Yeah, sorry about the sudden "leaving httyd archive" thing. I hope my interest in the fandom sparks again sometime soon so I can continue writing, but who knows. Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Hiccstridlover13: Awwww, hahahahaha! :D It's good to be back, even if just for a little bit! :D QUEEN CLIFFY HAS RETURNED! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: Seriously though; this always happens to Hiccup. XD Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! I had way too much fun writing it, especially the dynamics between the twins and Snotlout. :D**

 **Tejie: Thanks! :D**

 **midnightsky0612: Thank you! :D Haha! :D**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Thanks! :D Yep, can't have a story without something bad happening, can we? XD**

 **DragonSomething: Whoo! :D I'm glad you like it so far! :D Oh yeah, my email has always been like that for I-don't-know what reason. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **AquaticDragon: Hahahaha, what a funny coincidence! XD That's great! :D I'm so glad you like it so far! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **TheChosenOne260: Thanks! Yeah, it should be interesting to see how the great Hiccup Haddock the Third weasels his way out of this mess. XD**

 **Forever Me: Thanks! :D Yeah, it's tricky sometimes, coming up with fresh ideas, but I'm glad I'm leaving you guys with some fics to read, even if I don't keep coming out with new ones. I'll miss all of my readers, though. That's really the hardest part about leaving. :( But who knows, maybe interest will spark for this fandom again! :D Oh, and I'm glad you like what you're reading so far! :D I'll do my best to keep it up! :D (And no, YOU'RE awesome! XD :D).**

 **la-hija-de-Dios: Yeah! The twins are the best! :D**

 **Prince Maggie: Haha, yeah, gotta love the twins and their puns! :D And of course something bad happens to Hiccup. That always happens in my fics, no matter what. XD I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D I try to at least update once a day, so I'll do my best to keep up with that schedule! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **MoonStar02: Haha, thanks! :D**

 **Guest: Here's your update! :D**

* * *

Toothless roared desperately, and then, fury taking control of his better judgement, he pounced like an enraged wildcat and tackled the Timberjack to the ground. The Timberjack seemed to have been expecting the attack, because it fought back vigorously, roaring.

Toothless avoided the dragon's wings at all costs, knowing that if the Timberjack wanted to, it could easily slice Toothless in half, and right now, Toothless was only focused on maiming or knocking the Timberjack unconscious so he could retrieve Hiccup from the crevice.

Toothless leapt backwards to avoid the dragon's wing, and the Timberjack straightened to its full height, roaring. Toothless roared back and glanced over his shoulder at his prosthetic tailfin; the fire had gone out, but the only thing that remained of his prosthetic was a bit of twisted old wire.

 _That_ wouldn't be able to get him in the air, he knew that much, which gave the Timberjack an advantage over him. It could fly. Toothless could not.

Just as the Timberjack raised its head to attack, a blast of fire suddenly issued from above, hitting the Timberjack in the wing. Snotlout and Hookfang soared downwards, cheering.

"Yeah!" shouted Snotlout, pumping his fist into the air. "Snotlout, Snotlout, oi, oi, oi!"

After Snotlout followed Astrid on Stormfly, Fishlegs on Meatlug, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut on Barf and Belch. They raced towards the Timberjack, furious.

Toothless growled lowly, torn between finishing the fight with the Timberjack or racing to see his rider. But before he could make his decision, the Timberjack spread its wings and soared.

The Timberjack flew straight towards the tower of rocks. It spread its wings, picking up speed with every second. It circled around the tower of boulders, sucked in a deep breath…

"It's going to start a rockslide!" Astrid screeched at the other riders. "Stormfly, spine shot! Don't let it fire its embers!"

Stormfly flicked her tail, but it was too late. The Timberjack had already let loose a ball of explosive embers, and it slammed into the rock tower from behind. Almost instantly, the rocks came loose and began rolling, toppling over each other, towards the crevice Hiccup was currently unconscious in.

The rocks and boulders rolled straight over the crevice, sealing it shut. The boulders were a bit too big to fall straight through the crevice, but they were big enough to seal it effectively.

The crevice was sealed from all directions, giving Hiccup no way of escape.

The only section the Timberjack had intentionally left somewhat open was that leading towards the ocean. Seawater flowed, slowly but alarmingly, into the crevice.

The Timberjack's job here was done. It spread its wings and took off, into the sky, circling the island once before zooming out of sight.

Toothless roared in terror and charged towards the sealed crevice. Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch landed, and their riders dismounted, racing after Toothless in confusion.

"Toothless!" Fishlegs shouted. "What's wrong?"

"Do you think the Timberjack flew away?" asked Ruffnut, and she sounded disappointed.

"I hope it didn't," said Tuffnut.

"Well, us _normal people_ hope it _did_ ," said Snotlout. He looked around dumbly, as Toothless roared in desperation and sniffed the boulders. "Why would the Timberjack cause a rockslide like that for no reason?" Snotlout said flatly.

"Um...maybe he likes total destruction like we do!" said Tuffnut.

"Guys," said Fishlegs, looking around, his voice laced with a bit of panic, "where's Hiccup?"

The others looked around and realized he was right. Hiccup was nowhere to be seen.

"Hiccup!?" Astrid shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Hiccup!"

"Oh no…" whispered Snotlout, and he stepped back, pointing a wavering finger at the boulders sealing the crevice shut. "You...you don't think Hiccup is...is...in _there,_ do you?"

This instantly had the other riders frozen where they stood.

"Oh no," Astrid whispered. "Oh _no_ …"

…

" _...cup!"_

" _Hiccup!"_

Hiccup came to himself slowly. His head pounded as though someone had mistaken it for a pinata, and his throat felt thick. He was lying on his side, half-submerged in cold, salty water, and he raised his head off the ground with difficulty, hands braced against the stone beneath the shallow water. His wet hair hung in his eyes, and saltwater dripped down his face.

His vision was blurry. His brain felt clogged, and his ears felt as though they had been stuffed with cotton. Everything he heard sounded like it was coming from very far away; he heard water sloshing, his heart drumming, and…

" _Hiccup! Can you hear me!?"_

Voices. Faint voices that sounded as though they came from above him. He blinked slowly, staring upwards. His head spun so horribly it was nauseating. He felt sick and exhausted.

Everything was dark. He could see a canopy of rock above him, forming the perfect seal to keep him trapped inside. He swallowed. From the looks of it, there wasn't a way out.

" _Oh Thor, oh Thor, he isn't responding, he isn't responding!"_

" _Shut up, Fishface! You're only making it worse!"_

Hiccup blinked. Through his haze, he thought he recognized those voices. He tried to think back, to remember what had happened…

Water splashed against his face, and he shook his head feverishly, which was a bad idea. With a sharp intake of breath through his teeth, he reached up and clutched his head.

But now he remembered. The Timberjack had knocked him into the crevice. He didn't remember what happened after that, but if the way his head felt was any indication, he must have been knocked unconscious.

" _Hiccup! Please, answer us!"_

Hiccup shook his head, only slightly this time. "G-Guys?" he called, throat rough and hoarse.

" _Hiccup!"_ shouted an insanely relieved voice back, and Hiccup soon recognized the voice as Astrid's. Finally, Hiccup's ears cleared, and he heard the voices with clarity. "Thank goodness! Are you okay!?"

Hiccup swallowed thickly. "I hope so," he called back.

"Oh, wait, I've got it!" said a voice that unmistakably belonged to Tuffnut. "What do you call Hiccup in a crevice?"

"Tuffnut, we aren't in the mood for your jokes!" snapped Snotlout's voice, but Tuffnut went on with the punchline anyways.

"A sar-chasm! Haha, get it? A _sar-chasm!"_

There was a loud _WHACK!_ followed by Tuffnut's indignant _"HEY!"_

"I'm not _that_ sarcastic!" Hiccup complained.

"This is no time for puns, Tuffnut!" shouted Astrid's voice. "We need to figure out how to get Hiccup out of there!"

"We could always blast it with the dragons!" said Snotlout.

"No!" Hiccup shouted up at them, wincing as his echoing voice pounded against his ears. "Don't blast it!" he said, slightly quieter this time. "The rocks aren't stable! If you blast it, it'll come down on top of me!"

"Okay!" said Snotlout. "How about we move the rocks, one by one?"

"We can't do that!" said Fishlegs. "They're too big! If we try pushing them, we risk dislodging the smaller ones and caving it in on Hiccup!"

Hiccup couldn't argue with that point, and neither could Snotlout, if the silence was any indication.

"There has to be something else we can do!" said Fishlegs' voice. "Hiccup! What does it look like down there? Is there any way out from below?"

Hiccup looked around, eyesight still somewhat blurry. "No, just a lot of water," he said, but then, he noticed something else. When he first regained consciousness after being knocked out, the water hadn't been more than two inches deep.

But now, Hiccup noticed, when he pressed his palm flat against the ground, the water reached to the middle of his forearm.

Which could only mean one thing.

"Guys," Hiccup said, and he swallowed hard. "The water level is rising."

For a few moments, there was nothing but silence from above. Silence, mingled with the sounds of dripping and sloshing water.

And then, Snotlout shouted, "OH, WELL THAT'S JUST GREAT!" followed by what sounded like a helmet slamming against the ground. "GREAT! So we can't move the rocks, we can't _blast_ the rocks, _and_ , for the _finale_ , the crevice is filling up with water!"

"Can't we just cut off the source?" said Ruffnut's voice. "You know, figure out how the water's getting in and cut it off? Like a dam?"

"That's not a bad idea, Ruffnut," said Astrid's voice, "except, we have no idea where the water could be coming from, and if we cut it off, there's still the problem of actually getting Hiccup _out_ of the crevice! We don't have _time_ to find the source of the water!"

"Well, there has to be something we can do!" cried Fishlegs' panic-stricken voice. "Hiccup! How fast is the water filling?"

Hiccup took a moment to watch. It wasn't filling alarmingly fast, but it was fast enough to cause concern. "Um...at the rate it's filling now," said Hiccup nervously, "I'd say we have until...maybe tomorrow morning before it's filled to the top."

"Oh Thor!" gasped Fishlegs in horror. "Oh _Thor!"_

"Fishlegs! No one wants to hear you talk!" snapped Snotlout furiously. "Don't start panicking! Everything is under control! We'll find a way to get him out!"

"We could always tunnel Hiccup out," said Tuffnut. "You know, tunnel through the ground, and then curve into the crevice?"

"Idiot, that'll never work!" said Ruffnut.

"Actually," said Astrid, "it _could_ work!"

"Whoa! No _way!"_ said Tuffnut, and Hiccup could hear the smile behind his voice. "Wow! I was _not_ expecting that!"

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs," said Astrid's authoritative voice, and Hiccup couldn't help but smile. At least he always knew that should he be down for the count, he could always count on Astrid to take charge, "you three, go back to the Edge! We need shovels, pickaxes, and chisels! Maybe a few planks of wood for beams!"

"You got it!" said Ruffnut and Tuffnut in unison.

"Are you sure this will work?" asked Fishlegs uncertainly.

"We don't have another choice!" said Astrid. "Go, hurry! We have until tomorrow morning, or else!"

She didn't even have to say exactly what "or else" meant, because Hiccup, as well as Fishlegs, the twins, and Snotlout, already knew.

Hiccup shifted his weight, trying to scoot into the more shallow section of the water, but the instant he did, pain shot through his right leg - the only leg he had - as though a giant spike had suddenly been driven through it. He swallowed hard and clenched his teeth, trying to hold back a cry.

He glanced over his shoulder.

A rock, just large enough to fit through the crevice, had dropped atop Hiccup's leg, capturing the limb between the boulder and the rocky ground. Hiccup swallowed hard, breathing heavily.

He tried to pull his leg out from under the rock, but the instant he did, pain pulsed through it again, and he stopped, gritting his teeth. It was too much. The pain was too horrible. He couldn't muster the willpower to free his leg.

As if on cue, Fishlegs ,who still had yet to leave for the Edge with the twins, shouted, "You aren't hurt, are you, Hiccup?", and Hiccup wanted to scream.

But he didn't.

Instead, "Y-yeah," he said slowly. "M-My leg is bro-broken."


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome back, y'all, to another chapter! :D I think this will only go up to seven chapters; I'm not positive, but if it plays out the way I intend it to, then yeah, only seven chapters. But hey, that's okay, right? :) Thanks for all of your support, guys! :D Shout-outs:**

 **Hiccstridlover13: Yep. Just great. :( I have no idea why I'm so mean to our favorite viking, honestly. XD**

 **ShadowSpirt020: Definitely not good. :)**

 **Forever Me: Hahahaha, yeah, those "talk into the phone things" are kinda tricky to use sometimes. XD I have a little tiny flip-phone, but I've watched other family members use the iPhone talk-into thing and it's really funny to see the results. :D Yeah...I'm gonna miss the people on this site more than anything. I'm sincerely hoping I get more inspiration to write in this fandom, because I already have quite a few plots figured out - I'm just having a really hard time writing them. :/ But yeah. Here's hoping! :D I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, and yes, I'm going to do my best and keep up with my "one update a day" schedule. I like having some sort of goal when I write. :P Thanks for the review, and I hope you continue to like the story! :D**

 **SilverGhostWolf: Hahahaha, thanks! :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: Hahahaha, LOL, that's hilarious! XD One job! ONE JOB! :D :D :D And yes, it is a dam Percy Jackson reference. I LOVE THOSE BOOKS! XD**

 **wingedflower: Yeah...and the plot thickens! :D *rubs hands together***

 **DerpNinja: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it even though you don't usually read these kinds of fanfictions! :D That's one thing I always strive to do: make sure all the characters match up with the actual characters. And I also love puns, hence the Sar-Chasm. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Gamer Spice: Yeah, oh no is right... And I did see your review from chapter one! I was actually meaning to mention it sooner than this! :D Thanks for the kind, encouraging words! I haven't seen Finding Dory yet, but I'll remember those words of wisdom! XD Thanks for the review(s)! :D**

 **ThePoetCerridwen: Well _that's_ a threat I've never heard before. XD I promise I'll do my best not to kill off poor Hiccup. :) Thanks for the review! :D **

**SkyLightStar: Thanks! :D And I will keep it up, for this story, for certain! :D**

 **TheNightFury: Hahaha, yeah, Hiccup has terrible luck. :( Aww, thank you! I'd feel bad leaving you guys with nothing, so I'm glad to be writing this final "going away" fanfiction, if just to have the proper opportunity to thank everyone for everything and all their encouragements throughout my fanfiction walk. :D AWW YOU ARE SO SWEET. I'm going to miss you guys so much! But just as you said you won't forget me, I won't forget my readers! :D :D :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **DragonSomething: Yeah, time definitely flies fast when it comes to fanfictions. I can't believe there're only a few more chapters left to go. 0_0 That's crazy. I can't believe it. Thanks for the review, and for your last few, too! (Specifically your review on chapter 1 - I didn't get the chance to properly thank you for that :D). So thank you! (And you should definitely watch FMA - you won't regret it! :D). Thanks for the reviews! :D**

 **1 Fan: Hahahahaha, thank you so much! :D I know, I'm sad, too, but maybe inspiration will strike again someday! Who's to say? :D**

 **Crystallion12: Hey there! It's been a little while! :D How ya doin'? :D And yeah, not good, but HEY YEAH HICCUP WHUMP WHOO! XD (I'm such a dork XD).**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Let's hope so! :D**

* * *

"Fishlegs, you and the twins, go back to the Edge, and get what we need!" said Astrid, up above ground, looking at Fishlegs expectantly. "Go! Hurry! And grab bandages from the medical chest while you're there!"

Fishlegs nodded shakily and scrambled to get on Meatlug's back. As soon as he was mounted on the dragon, the Gronckle took off, soaring as fast as she could towards Dragon's Edge. Ruffnut and Tuffnut soon followed, leaping onto their Zippleback and taking off into the sky after Meatlug and Fishlegs.

Snotlout watched them leave, and then, he turned to Astrid. "And what are we supposed to do while they go back to Dragon's Edge?" he asked.

"We're going to stay here," said Astrid, "and make sure that Timberjack doesn't come back. In the meantime, we can look for any other way to get Hiccup out of the crevice."

She glanced back towards the pile of rubble stacked atop the crevice's opening and swallowed hard. She had no idea how long the air supply would last, and no idea how long it would take before the crevice filled up with water. Hiccup's assumption could have been wrong; what if it took three hours, instead of twelve? What if they didn't have enough time to move the boulders and get Hiccup out?

Toothless growled at the stones, pawing at them, and Astrid felt a pang of sorrow stab her heart.

 _"Don't worry, Toothless!"_ Hiccup's voice echoed from the bottom of the crevice; it took Astrid a few moments to figure out what he had said, his voice was so faint. _"I'm alright!"_

Toothless growled back at him.

"How bad's your leg?" Snotlout called down at him. "You said it was broken, right?"

 _"Um...right,"_ said Hiccup's voice, and this time, it wavered slightly. _"Yeah...well...my leg's kind of...caught between a rock and a hard place…heh, literally..."_

"What does that mean!?" Snotlout shouted.

 _"When the rocks caved over the crevice_ ," said Hiccup's voice, _"one of them kind of...crushed my leg...I'm a little stuck right now, actually…I won't be moving anytime soon."_

Astrid swallowed thickly. Perfect. Just perfect. "How's the air down there, Hiccup?" Astrid called.

 _"It's...thin,"_ Hiccup said back. _"But it's...breathable. The water's still rising. Do you guys have a plan?"_

Snotlout and Astrid looked at each other.

"Yeah, of course we do!" said Snotlout.

A heavy sigh from Hiccup. _"No you don't_."

"Don't worry, Hiccup!" Astrid shouted. "We'll figure it out! Don't worry!"

 _"I can barely breathe, my leg is stuck beneath a giant rock, and the water is up to my waist. I'm sorry, Astrid, but I can't see what I shouldn't be worrying about!"_

"He does have a point, Astrid," said Snotlout, shrugging. "He _is_ kinda doomed right now."

 _"SNOTLOUT! DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!"_

Snotlout threw his hands into the air. "I'm just saying," he said.

"Stop, Snotlout," said Astrid, reaching for her axe. When Snotlout caught this movement, he shrugged, but said nothing.

Toothless growled at the rocks separating him and Hiccup, and Astrid approached the dragon, Snotlout long forgotten. "Don't worry, Toothless," said Astrid reassuringly. "We'll get him out."

Toothless didn't look at her.

Meanwhile, down beneath the rubble, it was safe to say this was one of the worst days of Hiccup's life. His head pounded; something he hadn't mentioned to Astrid or the other riders, and when he touched his temple, he could feel a large knot, no doubt due to being knocked unconscious. With his leg caught beneath a rock and his lower body submerged in water, there wasn't much he could do.

Everything was still dark, but his eyes had adjusted somewhat, and he was able to see water trickling from between the boulders: the source of the rising water level. He looked up at it, and then down at the rock pinned over his leg.

He swallowed thickly.

The first thing he had to do was get it off, just in case the water rose and he had to move to higher ground. Drowning was definitely _not_ on his to-do list, now or otherwise.

He braced his hands against the rock, sucked in a deep breath, and pushed with all his might. It hurt. It _hurt_. It really, really, really, _really, really hurt_. But he didn't have a choice. With one final shove, he pushed the stone off his leg and dragged himself backwards, leaning against the wet wall of the crevice.

He was glad that at least his leg was _free_ , but now that it was, the pain seemed so much worse, and the exertion had done nothing to help his aching head. He shut his eyes, breathing almost unnaturally deeply through his nose, trying to stay calm.

Unfortunately, "calm" was a bit hard to stay when you were stuck at the bottom of a crevice with limited air, limited resources, limited light, and limited time.

Because, after all, the water was _still_ streaming through the cracks between the rocks, and the water level was _still_ rising…

"H-How's that plan coming, g-guys?" he panted, breathless, to the remaining riders, hoping they could hear him.

"We're working on it!" shouted Astrid. "Fishlegs and the twins'll be back soon! Just hang in there!"

Hiccup swallowed, watching the water level rise. "No rush!" he called, and he hoped his friends realized just how sarcastic he was actually being.

…

The dragons touched down on the Edge's platform, and Fishlegs dismounted, hurrying towards the door with Meatlug in tow. Ruffnut and Tuffnut, still mounted on Barf and Belch, watched him curiously.

"Okay!" said Fishlegs, throwing open the hatch and rushing inside. "We need shovels, picks, wooden planks...and bandages!" He raced for the nearest chest and threw it open. Ruffnut and Tuffnut finally dismounted their Zippleback and headed in after him.

"Here!" said Fishlegs, thrusting four shovels and two picks into the twins' arms. "You go ahead and take that, and Meatlug and I will be right behind you with the bandages and planks." Fishlegs swallowed thickly, twiddling his fingers for a moment in panic. "Oh, Thor, I hope Hiccup's okay…"

"So, wait," said Tuffnut, staring down at the shovels and picks hastily thrown into his arms. "What are we doing with these again?"

Fishlegs groaned loudly. "Of course!" he said. "Of course you don't know what we're doing! Do you realize how serious this situation is, Tuffnut? Does it occur to you that you have to pay attention every once in a while?"

"Yes!" said Tuffnut, rolling his eyes. "Of course! But I'm just not used to paying attention! Are we going to dig some sort of tunnel to get Hiccup out, or what?"

" _Ugh,_ yes!" moaned Ruffnut, bashing herself into Tuffnut instead of elbowing him, as her arms were full. "And we have to get this stuff back so we can start on the tunnel!"

"Ooh, now I remember!" said Tuffnut, nodding. "Yes!"

"Tuffnut, please!" said Fishlegs. "Take this seriously! If you don't hurry, Hiccup could die!"

The twins looked at each other, suddenly very solemn.

"Right," said Tuffnut. "Race you to the island, Ruffnut!"

"You're on, brother!" said Ruffnut, and she and Tuffnut raced outside, towards their dragon. Fishlegs watched them leave, and then, he busied himself with gathering the rest of the supplies they would need, hauling wood from their stash into his arms and slinging his medical satchel, complete with bandages and other salves, over his shoulder.

"Come on, Meatlug," he said, getting on the Gronckle's back. "Full speed ahead!"

Meatlug sped off as fast as she could (which was probably a bit slower than Fishlegs would have hoped, but he didn't complain) back towards the island, and he hoped all the while that somehow, they would be able to dig Hiccup out of the crevice.

…

The Timberjack watched from the shadows of a nearby boulder, as the dragons and their riders crowded around the rocks sealing the crevice shut, and their leader inside. The Timberjack looked at each of them, eyes narrowed in contempt.

It would have to be patient.

After all, good things came to those who waited.

It turned and glanced at the large, towering dam behind it and perked up. When the time was right, the Timberjack had just the plan to get rid of the dragons and their riders.

 _Drowning_ them seemed pretty effective _._

...

 _Drip._

 _Drip._

 _Drip._

 _Drip._

Saltwater dripped from between the rocks overhead, splashing atop Hiccup, and Hiccup shook his head, trying to keep somewhat dry, even though he was already covered from head to toe in seawater. His head hurt terribly and his leg throbbed; the darkness had become intimidating, and he was feeling somewhat claustrophobic because of it.

The water level was rising steadily, as it had been for the past few hours, ever since he had been caught in the crevice in the first place, and now, it was becoming frightening. When the water reached just above his waist, he dragged himself backwards, onto slightly higher ground, where it was at last unsubmerged though still soaking wet.

He brought the knee of his non-broken leg to his chest and wrapped his arms around it. It was freezing. Absolutely freezing, and this was coming from someone who had grown up on Berk, the Berk known for everything _but_ warm weather. On Berk, it was basically, "If winter doesn't kill you, devastating winter will." The water certainly wasn't helping, and neither was the threat of the rising waterlevel, or the fact that the rocks overhead could dislodge and cave over him at _literally any given second_ …

Yes.

Needless to say, he was having a bit of a hard time focusing on any one thing for more than a few measly seconds.

He glanced upwards at the rock ceiling: the thing separating him and his friends. It was even darker now, without even the faintest streams of light seeping through the small cracks in the rocks, and it didn't take a genius to know that night had fallen.

He blinked for a moment. Silence.

"Guys?" he shouted upwards, because he hadn't heard from his friends for a few hours, and he was beginning to worry that either something had happened, or they had left for some reason. "Still up there?"

" _We're still here, Hiccup!"_ Astrid's voice shouted back down at him, and he sighed in relief, tension leaving his shoulders. He rested against the damp, stone wall of the crevice. Even though he was scared out of his mind, at least his friends hadn't left him.

" _The twins and Fishlegs should be back any minute with the supplies!"_ said Snotlout.

Hiccup nodded, even though they couldn't see him, and curled into himself further. Night had definitely fallen, because it was so much colder now, and being soaking wet wasn't doing him any favors.

"H-hurry," Hiccup said quietly, shuddering, and he was sure his friends couldn't hear him. "Please…"

…

"Come on, come on, come on…" muttered Astrid as she paced back and forth, arms crossed over her chest. "They should've been back by now with those supplies!"

Snotlout, leaning against Hookfang, snorted. "Yeah, right," he said. "Fishface has the slowest dragon, and the twins have the slowest brains. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't show up for another week."

"This isn't funny, Snotlout," snapped Astrid furiously, turning to him, fists now balled at her sides.

"Hey, I know it ain't, Princess!" Snotlout said, putting up his hands defensively.

"I'm just saying-"

Meatlug and Barf and Belch suddenly landed, right in front of Snotlout, putting themselves between him and the furious Astrid. Fishlegs and the twins dismounted instantly, racing over with shovels, picks, and wooden planks.

"Took your time, didn't you, Fishlegs?" growled Snotlout.

"Sorry!" said Fishlegs apologetically as he set the wood on the ground, and the twins began handing out shovels. "We ran into a few Thunderdrums on the way over!"

"Well, come on!" said Astrid, yanking one of the picks away from Tuffnut and smashing it into the ground just beside the pile of stones - the start of their tunnel. "We have until morning to build this tunnel and dig Hiccup out!"

The others exchanged glances, and then, they, too, began to dig.

Toothless was curled just beside the mound of stones and rocks, head resting on his front legs, tail curled around himself. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to blast his way into the crevice and get Hiccup out himself, but he knew if he tried, it would do more harm than good.

So, he settled for watching the other riders dig, silently wishing them to move faster with every moment that passed.

Hiccup, too, below the rocks, listened to the sounds of shovels against ground, but they were quiet, faint, almost impossible to hear, and he only hoped his friends were able to get him out, before the water level found him first.

He glanced down at the ever rising water and swallowed hard.

Should the water make it over his head, there wouldn't be anything left for him to do. With a broken leg, he wouldn't swim.

He would drown.


	5. Chapter 5

**Oh mah gawsh I am tired. XD Honestly though, I think I'm sensitive to bright sunlight and heat, 'cause recently, I haven't been able to step outside without feeling lightheaded or dizzy. It could be because of my occasional migraines, but I honestly have no idea beyond that. I've been making sure to drink at least half my bodyweight in water during the summer, but still...sunlight, heat...oh well. XD**

 **So, unfortunately, no shout-outs this chapter, but I love you guys, and thank you so much for the support! :D I'll make sure to do shout-outs next time, 'kay? :D I love you guys! Enjoy chapter 5! (Only two more to go after this!).**

* * *

The shovels hit the ground. Astrid scooped out a generous amount of dirt and threw it to the side. The next time she did it, she made sure to dig the shovel deeper than before.

As of now, she and the other riders were working on five different holes, and each of the holes were now deep enough to the point that they had to stand in them to continue digging. Fishlegs' hole was the shallowest of all, and that was because he was panicking too much to do anything properly.

After him, Snotlout had another slightly deeper hole, to the point where when he stood in it, the only thing to be seen above ground was his head. He dug with all his might, but it was clear he was trying to show-off more than anything.

The twins' hole was so deep only the tops of their helmets could be seen. Barf and Belch watched them curiously, heads tilted.

Astrid was making the most progress, digging with all her might, trying to make sure it was deep enough to the point where, when she was ready to dig into the side of the crevice, she didn't bring the rocks down over herself or Hiccup. Her hole was by far the deepest and widest.

Toothless also dug nearby, scraping his front claws against the dirt, shoveling it away like a gigantic, frantic dog, and every now and then, he fired a small plasma blast to loosen some of the more stubborn dirt.

"What's the point of us _all_ digging, Astrid?" said Snotlout, throwing his shovel out of his hole and leaning his elbows against the outer rim of the gouge in the ground. "We only need _one_ tunnel to get Hiccup out, right?"

"Right," said Astrid, voice strained, as she hauled a large shovel load worth of dirt and gravel onto the ground and continued digging. "We can't all dig in the same hole, so whoever digs the tunnel first, we'll use that tunnel."

"Great!" said Snotlout, retrieving his shovel and disappearing into his hole. "So all of my beautiful handiwork could go to waste! Perfect!"

"This isn't the time to be thinking about your 'beautiful handiwork', Snotlout!" cried Fishlegs, shoveling a tablespoon worth of dirt from the hole - his worry often hindered his work. "If we can't get Hiccup out-"

"We'll get him out, Fishlegs," said Astrid, still shoveling, "I promise. We have to get him out."

She pulled herself upwards and looked over at Toothless. The only thing to be seen was the dragon's black and red tailfins flopping from the large hole, and dirt flew up in all directions.

"And I'm guessing," said Astrid, "we're going to use Toothless' hole to do it."

"Well, we'd better hurry up," said Tuffnut, dumping his shovel of dirt onto Ruffnut's head, much to the girl's protest. "Is it just me, or is the sun rising?"

Astrid looked up, straight at the sky, and found with horror that Tuffnut was, indeed, right. The very first few rays of sunlight were stretching over the sky, indicating dawn.

Morning had come.

Astrid swallowed thickly. "Okay! Everyone!" she shouted, throwing her shovel onto level ground and climbing out of her enormously deep hole with little difficulty. "Grab the wooden planks, and follow me! We're going to use Toothless' hole and start digging into the crevice!"

The riders leapt from their holes, each of them covered from head to toe in dirt and dust - the twins from their large one, Snotlout from his slightly smaller one, and Fishlegs from his so-shallow-it-could-barely-be-called-a-hole one.

"You two," said Astrid, pointing at the twins. "Circle the island and make sure the Timberjack isn't around."

"You got it, girl," said Ruffnut, and after she and her brother saluted, they turned, dropped their shovels, jumped onto their dragon's back, and took to the sky.

"And as for everyone else," said Astrid, distributing the wood amongst the three remaining riders. "We have work to do."

She looked up. The sun was rising _fast_.

"And we'd better hurry," said Astrid.

…

Water splashed against his face, and Hiccup was jerked out of sleep faster than what felt possible. He jarred his broken leg, sending a bolt of pain through the limb, and he bit his tongue to keep from crying out.

He looked around, checking the water level. Everything was still dark. But he could see the water, painted black by shadows.

And the water level was nearly to his chest.

Panic flooded his senses, and he, with some difficulty thanks to his broken leg, stood, leaning heavily against the wall. At least now the water level was somewhat less threatening, to his knees instead of his chest, but it was still rising steadily.

If not a bit _rapidly_ …

He glanced upwards, towards the rocks. There was no sign of anything. Only water streaming down the walls through cracks, filling the already nearly-filled crevice even more so.

"GUYS!" he shouted up at his friends, hoping they were still there.

…

Astrid stopped what she was doing (setting a long plank of wood upright where they would begin to dig inwards) momentarily when she heard Hiccup's voice. He sounded louder than before, and she hoped it meant they were getting closer.

But now that she could hear him more clearly, she also picked up the slight panic in his voice, and she swallowed hard, her heart already plummeting.

"What is it, Hiccup?" Astrid shouted back at him.

…

Hiccup felt around the walls for any sign of cracks or loose rocks he could push away to free himself, but he couldn't. The water was now up to his thighs, and it wasn't getting any shallower.

"The water!" Hiccup yelled. "It's getting deeper now!" He found a long stick that must have fallen in there during the avalanche and thrust it at the wall; he must have thrust it pretty hard, too, because when the thick stick hit the wall, the force shoved him backwards, and he toppled over, landing in the water.

This time, it was up to his shoulders.

...

The Timberjack watched the scene with its keen eyes, hovering between the large dam and the crevice encasing Hiccup. The dragon nodded in satisfaction, turned, and sped towards the dam.

Time to put its plan into action.

Unfortunately, it wasn't counting on a certain Ruffnut and Tuffnut to be watching it from where they were mounted on Barf and Belch nearby. Ruffnut and Tuffnut turned to look at each other, and then, they looked back at the Timberjack.

The wood-colored dragon sucked in a deep breath, paused a moment, and then fired a blast of explosive embers, straight at the dam's weakest point.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut gasped.

"Oh no," they said in unison.

The dam crumbled, and the onslaught of water gushed on, submerging even the highest boulders and cliff sides. The raging water tore across the island, straight towards the avalanche sight, where the other riders were still trying to dig Hiccup from the crevice…

"Come on!" said Ruffnut. "If we hurry, we can warn them in time!"

Tuffnut nodded, and their dragon sped off as fast as it could go, out-flying the rushing water.

...

Hiccup quickly stood up, momentarily ignoring the pain in his broken leg, too filled with adrenaline and panic to care very much. If he made it out of here alive, he could think about his leg, but before that, he had to _get out of here alive_ , which was a bit of a problem at the moment.

He ran at the wall again, beating it senseless with the stick, though it amounted to nothing. The water wasn't still, either. It swished as though pulled and stirred by an unseeable force, and it terrified him.

He fell into the water again.

This time, he was totally submerged.

He resurfaced quickly and coughed, having swallowed a large mouthful of salty seawater. He grabbed ahold of the stick again and pulled himself to his feet, gasping heavily.

And in a moment of desperation, he screamed, at the top of his lungs, up at his friends who he hoped were listening _"HURRY!"_ He watched the water for another second, and then, even louder, _"PLEASE HURRY!"_

…

"We don't have time to do the tunnel the right way!" said Snotlout, yanking the wooden planks from Astrid's arms and throwing them aside, just as she prepared to jump back into the hole. "There's no time, Astrid! _No time!"_

"GUYS!" shouted Ruffnut and Tuffnut from above, and they soared in on their dragon, looking terrified, which was definitely saying something, as the twins laughed in the face of danger (if they weren't the _cause_ of the danger).

"We have a dam problem!" said Ruffnut, pointing frantically over her shoulder.

The other riders turned.

The ginormous waves of blue water tore across the island, straight towards them. Snotlout's jaw dropped.

"What did you _do!?"_ gasped Snotlout.

"It wasn't us!" insisted Ruffnut. "Honest! It was the stupid Timberjack! It's trying to flush us out!"

 _"Literally!"_ said Tuffnut.

Astrid looked from the rushing water, and then back to the hole. She was just about to leap into the hole and find _some way_ to break through before the water reached them, when suddenly, Toothless barreled past her, nearly knocked her off her feet, and sucked in a deep, long breath.

"Toothless, no!" Astrid shouted. "You might bring the rocks down-!"

 _BOOM!_

With a blast of purple from Toothless' plasma blast, the last remaining dirt and rock putting itself between him and his rider was blown to pieces, and Toothless, determined, dove head-first into the hole.

Astrid raced after him, ready to do the same, but Fishlegs caught her arm and held her back.

"Let go of me, Fishlegs!" she demanded, twisting against his grip in an effort to free her arm. "Hiccup's down there, we have to get him out!"

…

Hiccup, pressing himself against the wall, the water up to his chin, gasped, trying to drag as much oxygen into his lungs as he could. It would only be a matter of seconds before the water was over his head, and he knew it, and he was preparing for it as best as he could.

...

"If anyone can get Hiccup out of there, it's Toothless!" said Fishlegs, and he sounded as reluctant as Astrid felt, and Astrid knew in a heartbeat that he was as terrified and frantic as she was. "Right now, if we don't get in the air, we'll be no better off than Hiccup! We have to get in the sky! Come on!"

Astrid probably would have protested again, if Stormfly hadn't swooped over her, grabbed her by her forearms, and tossed her onto her back. The Nadder, Astrid in her saddle, shot into the sky, pursued by Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins on their dragons.

Astrid looked down, gnawing on a knuckle, and across from her, Fishlegs had his hands up to his mouth, and even Snotlout and the twins stared with worry consuming them.

Astrid swallowed thickly. "Come on, come on, come on…" she whispered.

And then, the giant wave of rushing water crashed over the crevice.

…

Hiccup took one final gasp of air, and then, the water was over his head, and he couldn't breathe. He held his breath, kicking desperately with his feet, but with one leg broken and the other one false, there wasn't much he could to. He used the stick to try and push himself upwards, but it was no good. The water had risen to the very top of the crevice. There was no way out, no way of escape, and there was no more air, no more rock ledges to use in an attempt to push himself upwards…

Not that being able to push himself upwards would do any _good_ …

The sarcastic, voice-of-doom part of him thought wow, after all he went through, facing the Red Death and losing his leg, but not his life, fighting off Dagur and Berserkers and Alvin and the Outcasts, not to mention getting struck by lightning, he was going to die in a _hole_. A _hole_ , of all things.

He could have laughed. So this was how it ended for Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, rider of the Night Fury, renowned Dragon Whisperer. Not the heroic death he would have hoped for, but whatever; he didn't exactly have a _say_ in his _death_ , did he?

Oh, Thor, what would the others think? His friends were up there somewhere, but by the time they got down to him, he'd be long dead. He could see his funeral now; they'd probably make him a memorial, not for anything great, but for his idiocy: _idiot gets himself trapped in a crevice and doesn't live to tell the tale._

His lungs were out of air. He was out of time. He swallowed reflexively and began to panic. He kicked his legs a few more times, desperately trying to _somehow_ make it to the surface, but there was no hope. His eyelids flickered. His fingers, enclosed around the stick, loosened.

He shut his eyes. Unconsciousness claimed him.

If he hadn't fallen unconscious, he would have felt a current in the water when Toothless plunged into the water, would have felt it when the dragon grabbed him and yanked him towards the surface, back through the tunnel.

But of course, Hiccup _was_ unconscious.

And he _wasn't_ breathing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! :D Sorry for the late update and *cough cough* the short-er chapter...this one didn't break 2,000 words, but there wasn't a whole lot more I could add onto it, unfortunately. So anyways, I hope you like it. :) And I'm sorry, guys. I know I said I'd do shout-outs this chapter, but I'm just not going to be able to; remember when I said I was feeling dizzy yesterday? Well, it's kinda happening more often, so I think I'll just try and take it easy today.**

 **BUT I WILL DO SHOUT-OUTS NEXT CHAPTER - OR, MORE PRECISELY, THE _LAST_ CHAPTER! **

**THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT! :D SHOUT-OUTS NEXT CHAPTER! :D ENJOY CHAPTER 6! :D**

* * *

"I can't see them!" said Snotlout, putting his hand on his forehead to shield his eyes from the risen sun. "Do you see them!? I don't!"

Astrid looked down at the water desperately. It flooded into the ocean, rushing, gushing onwards, continuously, and she waited, hardly daring to breathe, hoping against hope that somehow, Toothless had gotten Hiccup out of the crevice and the two were safe, somewhere…

But they had been watching the water from the sky the entire time, and no Night Fury had emerged from it.

A few beats passed, and the riders continued to look on. The water's waves crashed into the ocean, still leaving a large amount spreading across the ground, flooding it effortlessly.

Finally, Fishlegs gasped, bringing his hands to his mouth, eyes filled with pure horror. "No," he whispered, shaking his head feverishly. "No! They must have made it! They must have! I was so sure, _I was so sure…"_

The twins only stared, jaws dropped. "No way," said Ruffnut.

"No _way_ ," said Tuffnut. "You...you don't think they're dead, do you?"

"There have been _countless_ times," said Snotlout hotly, "when we think Hiccup is dead, but he actually turns out to be fine! You know what? I wouldn't be surprised if he and Toothless flew out of the water right now!"

He paused, arms crossed, glaring down at the rushing water below. The riders waited, but no Hiccup nor Toothless appeared from the water's depths, and now, Snotlout's confidence began to waver.

Astrid swallowed hard, eyes widened.

Then, suddenly, a blur of black burst from the water below and into the air, spraying water everywhere, on everything.

"Toothless!" Astrid cried, and she was so relieved she felt like laughing.

"YES!" cheered Snotlout. "See? I told you they would make it!"

"Thank Thor…" breathed Fishlegs, putting a hand on his chest, over his heart.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut, too, sighed in relief. "That was an epic dam break though," said Tuffnut, grinning. "We should build a dam on Dragon's Edge and break it whenever we're bored. That was _awesome_."

Astrid smiled, truly relieved. But her relief was short lived when she noticed something out of place. Hiccup wasn't on Toothless' back. Toothless staggered through the sky, towards a nearby plateau, and he set something down on it before landing himself.

Astrid's heart skipped a beat.

"Come on!" she shouted to the other riders, and they charged over on their dragons, towards Toothless and Hiccup.

The dragons touched down on the plateau, and their riders dismounted, rushing over. Hiccup was sprawled on his back on the ground, eyes shut, and Toothless was nudging him constantly, trying to rouse him.

"Hiccup!" Astrid gasped, crashing to her knees before him, just in front of Toothless. Hiccup's one leg was definitely broken, twisted in a somewhat bizarre position that made her want to gag, and he was an unnatural, sickly pale.

Her hands hovered over Hiccup uncertainly. She didn't know what to do. Around her, the other riders, too, surrounded the unconscious dragon trainer.

"Is he breathing?" Fishlegs whimpered, hands once again over his mouth. "Please tell me he's breathing."

Astrid frantically checked him over.

He wasn't.

"Oh my Thor," said Fishlegs, stumbling backwards. The look on Astrid's face had said it all. _"OH MY THOR!"_

"Nobody panic!" shouted Snotlout, surging forward, kneeling beside Astrid. "This happened to my second cousin's friend's neighbor's kid once! I know exactly what to do!"

He raised one balled fist and closed his other hand around it. Then, he looked at Astrid when the others stared at him in question.

"He swallowed water, right?" said Snotlout. "He must have!"

"Sure, Snotlout!" said Fishlegs, still panicking. "But what could you do-"

Snotlout raised his interlocked fists and, before anyone could protest, slammed them down on Hiccup's chest. Toothless instantly roared in fury, looking ready to attack Snotlout then and there, and Fishlegs and Astrid screeched, _"SNOTLOUT!"_ while the twins seemed a bit too stunned to react at all.

But then, Hiccup's eyes flew open, and he rolled over on his side, coughing and hacking. The others were too shocked to say anything or _do_ anything for the longest time. Hiccup gasped, breathing heavily, still coughing, and finally, Astrid reacted.

" _Hiccup!"_ she shouted, and she seized him, embracing him tightly even as he coughed, trying to get his breath back. Fishlegs looked ready to faint he was so relieved, and the twins bashed their heads together. Snotlout stood nearby, nodding to himself, pride swelling in his chest.

Almost as soon as Hiccup got his breathing under control, he fell unconscious again, slumped against Astrid, but Astrid could hardly care. She hugged him tight, refusing to let go for a long time, and Toothless nuzzled the side of Hiccup's neck.

"It was nothing," said Snotlout, grinning. "Let's just say, I know my stuff."

Then, a chainsaw-like roar broke the silence, and the riders looked up. The Timberjack couldn't have been too far off.

"Well," said Astrid, looking at Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins, each in turn, "we have to relocate the Timberjack somehow, chase it back to its home island."

"Great!" said Snotlout. "I volunteer the twins and Fishlegs!"

Astrid nodded. "Alright," she said. "I'm going to need you and Hookfang to help me get Hiccup and Toothless back to the Edge. The rest of you...try and chase the Timberjack off the island. Now that it's water supply from the dam has been cut off, it shouldn't want to hang around for much longer."

"Got it!" said the twins, beaming, and they raced, leapt on Barf and Belch's back, and soared off. Fishlegs passed the medical satchel to Snotlout, mounted Meatlug, and followed the twins and their Zippleback.

Snotlout turned to Astrid, grinning. "And Snotlout just totally saved Dragon Boy's life!" said Snotlout. "Wooooo! Snotlout, Snotlout, oy, oy, oy!"

Astrid sighed heavily, absentmindedly holding Hiccup tighter. "I hate to admit it, Snotlout," she said, "but you're right. You _did_ save his life."

"And now," said Snotlout, "Hiccup totally owes me one! Oh, I've got it!" He snapped his fingers. "I could make him do my chores for the week! Yes! That sounds like a good payback to me!"

Astrid frowned. "No," she said, squeezing Hiccup, almost protectively. "Come on. We're going back to the Edge."

"Oh, come on!" moaned Snotlout, stomping his foot like a toddler throwing a tantrum. "He _owes_ me this!"

Astrid glared at him harshly, jerking her head towards her axe, strapped to her back, and Snotlout finally conceded, though it was _definitely_ done reluctantly.

"Aww, come on!" Snotlout groaned.

But when Toothless growled at him, glaring almost as menacingly as Astrid, Snotlout was left with no choice but to comply.

…

 _Water. Rushing. Black. Drowning. Darkness closing in. Pain throbbing…_

Hiccup jerked awake and bolted upright, and instantly, he wished he hadn't. His head pounded as though someone were driving a dagger through it, and his leg pulsed with a pain almost as horrible. He felt cold and weak. Everything was spinning.

He felt someone put their hands on his shoulders, and he looked up. Astrid's blurry figure came somewhat into focus, but he still couldn't see her, nor anything else, clearly.

"Astrid...?" he slurred, shutting his eyes to keep the dizziness from worsening.

Astrid pushed him back down against a surface he recognized - his bed. He was back at Dragon's Edge, in his own loft. Huh. That was weird. The last thing he remembered was being trapped in the crevice, sinking through the water, unable to breathe-

He brought a hand up and massaged his temple. Everything was still spinning horribly.

"Yeah, it's me, Dragon Boy," said Astrid. "Who were you expecting? Snotlout?"

Hiccup didn't answer.

"Just...relax," said Astrid; Hiccup could no longer see her, as he shut his eyes to fight off the dizziness. "We'll talk later."

Hiccup nodded and then wished he hadn't, as the pain in his head increased. He sighed heavily, shivering, as the room seemed to have become so much colder.

Just before he lost himself to sleep, he felt Astrid pull a thick blanket up to his shoulders, and he couldn't be sure, but he thought he felt her press a kiss to his forehead.


	7. Chapter 7

**FINAL CHAPTER.**

 **...**

 **THIS IS THE FINAL CHAPTER FOR GOSH'S SAKES OH MY GOSH I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS. o_O**

 **Final author's note at the end of the chapter! :D I wanted to let you guys know, that weird dizziness I was feeling lately? I think it was just a small virus I caught from somewhere, and I'm feeling a lot better now! :D Thank you for all your concern and understanding! I really, really appreciate it! :D**

 **Anyways, as I promised, shout-outs!**

 **ShadowSpirt020: Yeah! Go Snotlout! XD Never thought I'd say that...XD**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Whoot whoot! Hiccstrid for the win! :D**

 **thechosenone260: Whoo! I'm glad you liked it! :D Hiccstrid is amazing! It's definitely my favorite ship in the series! :D Thanks for the review! And yeah, suspense rocks! :D :D :D**

 **AquaticDragon: Yeah...I really can't believe it myself, either...this is my final chapter...it's pretty crazy. But I'm glad you liked the last chapter! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Gamer Spice: Hahahahaha! I haven't seen that episode; I usually only watch the old ones. The modern ones...yeah, most of 'em suck, frankly. :/ But oh well. XD Hiccstrid...hmm...I wonder...*hint hint* XD**

 **midnightsky0612: That it is, my friend, that it is. :)**

 **inukekarynatsusu: Thanks! I'm so glad! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Animals Rule: Awwwwww, thank you! That's quite the compliment! :D :D :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: Thanks! :D Yeah, I had some fun with this chapter...but then again, I always have a lot of fun with my chapters, so I guess it's nothing new. :D I love it when Snotlout actually uses his brain, and the twins are always hilarious. :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Prince Maggie: Hiccstrid is awesome! :D I'm such a fangirl for it. :) The dizziness has been going away; I think it was just a temporary virus I contracted or something. I've been feeling a lot better lately. :D Thanks! :D :D :D**

 **SkyLightStar: Hahahahahahahaha! Hail Snotlout! :P I'm glad you liked it! Thanks! :D**

 **Forever Me: Yeah, whooo! And just this once, EVERYONE LIVES! XD LOL! :D :D :D Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the chapter! :D**

 **DragonSomething: Yeah! Bring out the cake, whoot whoot! :D :D :D Yeah, time flies pretty quick. It's hard to keep up with it sometimes. :/ (Oh awesome! :D Are you watching the original FMA or Brotherhood? Both of them are amazing. :D). Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Angel Azul: I'm glad you liked it! :D Oh yeah, it's going to be sad...I'm gonna miss you guys. :( But you still have this chapter to read, so I hope you enjoy it! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **la-hija-de-Dios: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed that! (I really need to think of some other words to say other than "glad" all the time...I say it in nearly every shout-out at least once...:/ Oh well XD). Yeah, makes you wonder, huh? Hiccup's probably just really disoriented right about now, and he _was_ knocked unconscious when he fell in the crevice in the first place, so it could have something to do with head pain. :) Thanks for the review! :D **

**Hiccstridlover13: Hahahahaha, thank you! :D I decided to give Snotlout something to do for once! :D XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **1 Fan: I KNOW THE LAST CHAPTER! *sobs* I can't believe it either! It's crazy! But you still have this last chapter to read, and I hope you enjoy it, too! :D I think the dizziness I was feeling a few days ago was some sort of virus, because it went away and I'm feeling a lot better now. Thanks for your concern! :D :D And for the review, too! :D :D :D**

 **Crystallion12: Snotlout, Snotlout! :D :D :D**

 **Guest (#1): Thanks! It makes me happy to hear you enjoy it! :D I try to update pretty regularly to keep all my readers reading; sometimes it's hard to wait for new chapters. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Guest (#2): Okay! Maybe I'll check those out! :D Thanks! :D**

 **Guest (#3): I'm sorry! :( Please don't be mad at me! :(**

 **Reach For The Stars77: Hahahaha! :D Yeah, Hiccstrid is amazing! And I love Snotlout acting like a protective cousin, because honestly, I think that's what he is. :D Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far! :D**

* * *

Hiccup opened his eyes and blinked feverishly to clear his blurry vision. He found himself staring upwards at the familiar knots on a familiar ceiling. Dragon's Edge. He was back at Dragon's Edge.

He blinked. He thought about getting up, but at the moment, the bed seemed too inviting to leave. And anyways, there was a dull throb in his skull that made moving uninviting.

He was just about to shut his eyes again, when Toothless suddenly nudged him so hard he nearly rolled off the side of the bed. Hiccup instantly put up his hands, trying to defend himself as the dragon took to licking him.

"Hey, bud," Hiccup said, voice hoarse. When Toothless finally calmed down, Hiccup put his hand against the dragon's muzzle, smiling softly. "We really need to stop meeting like this, Toothless…"

Toothless nodded in agreement and nuzzled him again. Hiccup sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Instantly, pain pulsed through his right leg, and he looked down, remembering.

A splint encased his broken leg, two thin pieces of wood on either side and tan bandages bound to keep them in place. Hiccup sighed heavily. Toothless followed his gaze, head tilted.

"Of course," said Hiccup. "The leg thing. Why am I not surprised."

Toothless nuzzled him, and Hiccup smiled again. "Thanks, bud," he said. He looked around; a smooth walking stick was leaning against the wall by the bed, and Hiccup reached out, grasping it. It was taller than he was, and he assumed it had been left there by one of the riders to use as a crutch when he woke up.

Hiccup pushed himself to his feet, leaning on the walking stick, and then, Toothless following him closely, made for the stairs.

He stumbled down them, which wasn't as easy as he had hoped, but somehow, he made it to the main level of his residence on Dragon's Edge, glancing about the room. The hearth was lit, and embers scattered through the air and rose to the ceiling. Everything else was as he had left it.

Everything, except one thing.

One _person_ , more like.

Astrid was sitting at a bench in the corner, grinding a piece of flint against the blade of her axe, sharpening her already deadly-sharp weapon. Hiccup watched her; by the looks of it, she hadn't yet noticed his arrival.

He opened his mouth to say something, when Toothless thumping against the floor beat him to it. The dragon hadn't taken the stairs; instead, he had leapt from the loft, shaking the whole floor upon landing.

Astrid jumped (something she never did), and her head whipped around in their direction. As soon as she caught sight of Hiccup, she, seeming startled, threw down her axe and flint and hurried over to him.

" _Hiccup_!" she exclaimed, sounding more exasperated than anything, but Hiccup could hear the relief behind her voice. "What...how…" She stared at him, and then shifted his gaze to the stairs behind him. "You made it down the stairs!? _Without_ me hearing you!? How'd you do that!?"

Hiccup guessed she was referring to his broken leg, and he frowned. "Um...carefully…?" he said, somewhat tentatively, because he knew how Astrid got when she was angry about something.

But she didn't seemed angry. This kind of angry was more of a scared angry; a worried angry; a relieved angry.

"You have a broken _leg_ ," said Astrid, a bit calmer this time. "You're not supposed to be up walking around, _especially_ down stairs. You should be sleeping."

Hiccup shrugged. "I'm not tired," he said (or, he lied, more like, because truth be told, he _was_ tired). "I don't see anything wrong with walking around."

"You have a…" she started, gesturing at the splint around his leg, and then, deciding it was hopeless, sighed. "Nevermind," she said. "If you aren't going to get back in bed, you can at least sit down."

"Astrid-" Hiccup was about to tell her that he was fine, but she cut him off.

"Do it," she said, "or I will quite literally drag you."

"Well, _rude_ ," said Hiccup, but he complied anyways, limping across the room and sinking down on the bench. Astrid sat beside him, taking up her axe again, though she seemed distracted now.

"What happened?" Hiccup ventured.

"What do you remember?" said Astrid.

"I remember being trapped," said Hiccup. "In the crevice. That's about it."

"Oh," said Astrid. "Well...we got you out. That's basically all that happened. You...kind of drowned on us for a little bit...you owe Snotlout your life now, Hiccup."

Hiccup choked, covering it up with a cough into his fist. _"Snotlout_ saved my life?" he blurted.

"Yeah," said Astrid. "We were all pretty surprised, too. You nearly got sick after everything, you know, just because of the temperature of the water in the crevice...how do you feel?"

"Pretty rough, actually," said Hiccup, "but I'll manage. I'd take a broken leg and headache over being _dead_ any day."

"Yeah, I would, too," said Astrid.

For a few moments, there was only silence, and the sound of Astrid's flint scraping against her axe. Finally, Hiccup broke the quiet of the residence. "Where are the others?" he asked.

"At the stables, feeding their dragons," said Astrid absentmindedly. "They relocated the Timberjack. After the dam burst on the island, it didn't have any reason to hang around. It shouldn't be bothering us again."

Hiccup nodded.

Silence fell again, and this time, it wasn't broken by voices. Toothless curled at Hiccup's feet, wrapping his tail protectively around his rider's legs, being careful with the one that was broken, and Hiccup watched Astrid sharpen her axe.

He felt tired, as though just the trip downstairs had exhausted him, sapping up his energy, and he didn't feel like getting up and walking to bed again.

So he leaned over, resting his head against Astrid's shoulder. Astrid froze, flint held just over her axe blade, and she turned, frowning at him.

"What are you doing?" she said.

"Sleeping," said Hiccup, not bothering to open his eyes. "That's what you wanted me to do, right?"  
Astrid heaved a long, exasperated sigh. Hiccup half expected her to pull back and snap at him to go sleep upstairs, but she didn't.

" _Fine,_ " she huffed. "But when you wake up with a crick in your neck, it'll be entirely your fault."

"Worth it," Hiccup murmured, and before Astrid could come up with a smashing reply, he allowed himself to be taken by sleep.

Astrid sighed again, and this time, she set down her axe, and the flint, and shook her head. "Oh, Hiccup…" she sighed, pulling a blanket off one of the backs of a chair and pulling it around Hiccup's shoulders. She smiled softly and shook her head again. "What am I going to do with you?"

Toothless perked up, watching her with those toxic green eyes of him, and then, he smirked. He _actually smirked_. Astrid fixed the dragon with a pointed look.

"Save it, Toothless."

Toothless rolled his eyes.

…

On the decks below a ship, Dagur the Deranged stood before a large, rectangular mahogany table. On the surface of the table, a map, along with several charcoals and daggers were strewn, and around the table stood a number of Dagur's Berserkers, while Dagur stood at the head of the table, overlooking his crew skeptically.

"My brother may have eluded us in the past," said Dagur darkly, "but no more! In a few weeks' time, we sail on Berk!" He grabbed a dagger from the table and plunged the blade through the map and through the wooden table, right over Berk's location. He laughed maniacally, grinning.

"Oh, yes," said Dagur, rubbing his hands together. "Because if you want to take down the weed, you have to go in through the root. If we can nab Hiccup, the Berkians will do anything to get him back, and when they do…"

Dagur's smile grew to the point where it was in danger of splitting his face in half.

"...Berk, will crumble," said Dagur.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **And my final fanfiction is completed! 0_0 This is so strange. I don't even know what to say in my final author's notes. I ended this one on a sort-of cliffhanger so I have somewhere to pick up if I ever write in this fandom again (which is either a maybe or a no), so that's why there's a cliffhanger. Sorry about that, guys, but it was kinda necessary. :P**

 **I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! :D :D :D :D :D THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS WHILE I'VE HAD MY FANFICTION ACCOUNT! YOU GUYS ARE ALL INCREDIBLE, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AND DON'T YOU EVER FORGET IT!**

 **And maybe I'll see you around the archives, who knows! :D**

 **THANK YOU ALL!**

 **BEYOND IS OUT! :D**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


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